Belarus has began de-russification and is imposing Belarusian language

Summary of Disinformation

Belarus is moving in the direction of a “de-russification”. This involves imposing statutory measures such as the Belarusian language, [Catholic] churches, vyshyvankas and the Latin alphabet in what is termed as a ‘gradual soft Belarusianisation’. This inevitably turns Belarus into an enemy, moving it from the Russian cultural space into a Polish-Lithuanian one.

The Belarusian constitution provides equal status of the two official languages – Belarusian and Russian (Article 17) – as well as equal status of religions in the country (Article 16). In practice, the majority of official correspondence, state media and education in Belarus operate in Russian.

The number of people claiming Belarusian as their native language is decreasing according to recent public opinion polls with only 3% speaking Belarusian on an everyday basis.

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Reported in:Issue 137

Date:16.02.2019

Language:Belarus

Country:Russia, Belarus

Keywords:Russian language

Outlet where the disinformation appeared:Regnum.ru

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Disclaimer

The Disinformation Review focuses on key messages carried in the international information space, which have been identified as providing a partial, distorted or false view or interpretation and spreading key pro-Kremlin messaging. It does not necessarily imply, however, that the outlet concerned is linked to the Kremlin or pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. The Review is a compilation of cases from the East Stratcom Task Force’s wide network of contributors and is therefore not considered an official EU position. Likewise, the news articles are based on the analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force, so information and opinions expressed are not considered an official EU position.